Student Employment Policy & Procedure Guide
Section 600: Maximum Allowable Work Hours, Overtime and Volunteer Work
Effective: 07/01/2023
 

To determine the total hours for a student employee per week, combine the total work hours scheduled for each on-campus job held by the student employee. Please note some student employees hold more than one job at the University.

 

Fall, Winter, and Spring Term Maximum Allowable Work Hours

Undergraduate and post baccalaureate student
Enrolled in 6 credit hours or more

Maximum of 24 hours per week

Undergraduate international student
Enrolled in 12 credit hours or more, or on an approved reduced course load/reduced enrollment

Maximum of 20 hours per week

Graduate student
Enrolled in 5 credit hours or more

Maximum of 24 hours per week

Graduate international student
Enrolled in 9 credit hours or more, or on an approved reduced course load/reduced enrollment

Maximum of 20 hours per week

Graduate student with a Graduate Assistantship Combined maximum of 24 hours per week. (GA + hourly)
Graduate International Student with a Graduate Assistantship Combined maximum of 20 hours per week. (GA + hourly)

High school student

Maximum of 20 hours per week 

 

Summer Session Classes (Per Session) Maximum Allowable Work Hours

Undergraduate and post baccalaureate student

Enrolled in 6 credit hours or more: Maximum of 24 hours per week.
Enrolled in 5 credits or less: Maximum of 40 hours per week. *

Undergraduate international student

Enrolled in 12 credit hours or more, or on an approved reduced course load: Maximum of 20 hours per week.
Enrolled in 11 credit hours or less during annual vacation term: Maximum of 40 hours per week.

Graduate student

Enrolled in 5 credit hours or more: Maximum of 24 hours per week.
Enrolled in 4 credits or less: Maximum of 40 hours per week. *

Graduate international student

Enrolled in 9 credit hours or more, or an approved reduced course load/reduced enrollment: Maximum of 20 hours per week.
Enrolled in 8 credit hours or less during annual vacation term: Maximum of 40 hours per week.

Graduate student with a Graduate Assistantship

Combined maximum of 24 hours per week (GA + hourly)

Graduate International Student with a Graduate Assistantship Combined maximum of 20 hours per week (GA + hourly)
High school student Maximum of 40 hours per week

*If taking less than 6 credits during a term, you may be subjected to additional taxes, fees, and withholdings. May be considered a student’s term off.

 

TERM OFF

If eligible, a student may take any term during the academic year as the term off. However, students cannot have back-to-back terms off.

Student employees are only eligible to take a term off during the academic year if they were at least minimally enrolled the term immediately before the term off and will be enrolled the term immediately following. Student employees that do not enroll the term following their term off will be terminated from their student employment role and their supervisor will be provided with options for other employment.

BREAKS

Student employees may work full-time (40 hours per week) during term and summer breaks. Breaks begin the day after finals week and end the day before the term begins. This applies to all OSU student employees, regardless of the institution they are attending.

Overtime

Student positions are non-exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and, therefore, hours worked in excess of 40 hours in one week must be paid as overtime.Overtime is earned only when an employee exceeds 40 hours in a workweek.

Overtime must be approved by a supervisor prior to it being worked.

If a student works over 40 hours in a workweek, they must be paid the standard overtime rate of one and one-half times their regular hourly rate of pay.

In determining if overtime payment is applicable, the student employee’s hours worked in a work week include the combined total of all hours worked in all positions held by the student employee at the University for that work week.

Volunteer Work

When an Employee, including Student Employee, can be a Volunteer:

As cited by the Bureau of Labor and Industries, Oregon state law defines “employed” to be anytime an employee is “suffered or permitted to work”. In order for an employee to qualify as a volunteer, these four criteria must be met:

  • The work must be at the employee's initiative.
  • The work must be outside normal or regular work hours.
  • The employee must be performing a religious, charitable or other community service without contemplation of payment.
  • The employee must be performing a task outside of the regular job functions performed for the same employer.

University employers and supervisors are prohibited from accepting volunteer hours from a paid employee, including a student employee, except in very unique situations and under very narrow circumstances (see above criteria).

An employer or supervisor cannot request, suggest, coerce or otherwise solicit an employee to perform volunteer work.  Nor can an employee receive any real or implied, present or future reward or penalty for volunteering or not volunteering to perform work.  Additionally, an employee may not receive any promise, expectation or receipt of compensation, grades, enrollment in classes, promise of participation in any activity, or any future employment as a result of volunteer hours.

Volunteer hours cannot be treated as a pre-requisite to anything, including an offer of employment.

Criteria, Conditions of Volunteer Service Forms, FAQs, and Policy information regarding Volunteer Service can be found here. For more information, contact Insurance and Risk Management Services.

Questions regarding maximum allowable work hours should be direct to the Student Employment Center at student.employment@oregonstate.edu.